


And We Can Argue Some Semantics Over Who Left Who First

by hunnyflower



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alcohol Withdrawal, Angst, Drug Withdrawal, Hurt Klaus Hargreeves, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Klaus Hargreeves Deserves Better, Klaus Hargreeves Has PTSD, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Klaus Hargreeves Needs Help, Klaus Hargreeves-centric, M/M, Oops, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Sober Klaus Hargreeves, Withdrawal, but i havent watched the series in a while, but yeah there is. no comfort. i am so sorry, i tried to follow the time line as best as i could, i wanted to write something sad and, its like, klaus and five getting in an argument was my first thought, rlly sad, so sorry if its a bit off, sobs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:21:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26592817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunnyflower/pseuds/hunnyflower
Summary: “I could use a bottle of wine right now.” He says instead.Ben just stares at him, and Klaus knows he’s disappointed. He’d been getting that look far more often than he’s willing to admit, he hates making Ben upset.“Water works too, though.” Klaus says quickly, and wonders how Ben manages to stay with him, when he can barely stay with himself.ORKlaus tries to get sober, and he and Five fight.
Relationships: Klaus Hargreeves & Everyone
Comments: 3
Kudos: 174





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> If the tags didnt scare you off, hello!! The tws for this fic are as follows: 
> 
> -alcohol abuse/past abuse/withdrawal symtoms  
> -drug abuse  
> -arguing  
> -victim blaming  
> -death  
> -referenced kidnapping/torture (canon typical)  
> -referenced s//xual a//salt  
> -anxiety attacks  
> -implied ED
> 
> IF I MISSED ANY PLEASE COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW!!!

Klaus didn’t like it here, he missed his friends (he didn’t have any friends, not really. Just his dealers and clients. Those don’t really count as friends.), and he missed his drugs. He threw them out, he quit cold turkey, and it wasn’t going well, at all. 

He’d quit a few days ago, when Five came back. Well, not _right_ when Five came back, it took a few days, and a little kidnapping fiasco, but after that he couldn’t even stand the sight of his usual drugs. It was unfortunate really, he liked those. 

“It’s a lot better for you, y’know.” Ben says. “It’ll suck for a few weeks and then you’ll feel great.”  
  
Klaus knows that it’s a lie, but he doesn’t comment.

“I could use a bottle of wine right now.” He says instead.

Ben just stares at him, and Klaus knows he’s disappointed. He’d been getting that look far more often than he’s willing to admit, he hates making Ben upset. 

“Water works too, though.” Klaus says quickly, and wonders how Ben manages to stay with him, when he can barely stay with himself.

Ben seems a little less upset with him, and he counts that as a win.

Still, he wasn’t exactly having the best time, withdrawal was a bitch. He’d been in his room all day, trying to avoid the knowing looks of his siblings and the bar in the house. His eyes were droopy and he was shaky, so, so shaky. He felt cold and hot and everything all at once, and god did he wish he had a drink right now, he can see Ben’s look of disappointment though, so he doesn’t. If anything, he needed food. But food meant going downstairs, and downstairs meant siblings. The same siblings he was avoiding right now.

He wasn’t _trying_ to avoid them, he told himself, he just… didn’t want to see them right now. Yeah, not avoiding them. _God, he_ was pathetic, wasn’t he. Ben frowns at him, and Klaus feels bad. “You should talk to them,” He says, “it would be good for you.” And so Klaus agrees, maybe it would be good for him, the family was a mess anyway, not like he could make it any worse.

Could he?

He was shaking again, his whole body rejecting his movement. _Too bad_ , he had to do this. If not for himself, then for Ben. Poor Ben, who’s stuck with him for 17 years, who doesn’t really remember his life before his death. He was the only reason Klaus was sober, and he was the only reason he was staying that way.

He was struggling to breathe, and he was shaking like no tomorrow, and his body was screaming for him to stop, but he didn’t want to die just yet, so he needed to eat something and get a nice cold cup of water so he doesn’t lose his mind. Not that he hasn’t already lost it, anyway.

He made his way down the stairs, awaiting his siblings arguing and the screaming of the ghosts. Just a snack, he told himself, a snack and a little conversation, then you can go back upstairs. He hated it here, the ghosts, the screaming, his siblings, the lying, his father. Maybe going back to being a junkie, then he wouldn’t have to deal with it all. Ben disagreed. 

Allison was the first person he saw, but she didn’t seem to be interested in him _thank god_ , so he waved a hello and quickly made his way to the kitchen. He wasn’t going to have a conversation (argument, his brain tells him) with anyone while he was hungry. 

Except that, when he got there, Klaus wasn’t the only one in the kitchen, Five was there, making his usual cup of coffee. ‘ _There goes the plan for avoiding everyone today,”_ Klaus sighed. It was gonna be fine, just say hi and ask him how his day was, that was the plan.

Nothing ever goes as planned though.

“So, Five-o, what’s on your mind?” He asks, and Five glares at him.

“Well, gee Klaus, I don’t know, maybe it’s the fact that the world is ending in a few days, and we have no idea how to stop it!!” Klaus stares at him.

“The what?” He says, and his vision goes a bit black, and he sways to music that isn’t there.  
  
“Klaus, are you drunk?” The venom is back in his voice as usual.  
  
“Whaaatt noo…” He lies, very convincingly. “Just, uh, forgot is all.

“Sorry you weren’t paying attention dipshit, but there’s a fucking apocalypse in a few days and if you don’t sober up, I’m leaving you behind.” Five spits out angrily.

Oh, Five didn’t know he’d been kidnapped, had he? He thought he was off getting high again, hadn’t he? Klaus chokes back a sob, he really didn’t wanna think about that right now. He was almost murdered and his siblings all thought he was just playing around in the city, or hiding away in an alley waiting for his dealer. 

“Well, gosh Five, I’m sorry I was too busy getting drunk to pay attention to you! I have a life you know, the one that doesn’t include you! You know that Five? You’re a shitty person.” He took a deep breath, trying to control his anger, but failing, “You’re a shitty person and an even worse brother!” Klaus shouted, loud and teary and angry.

Five wasn’t having it today, “Have you seen yourself Klaus? You’re no better! Your powers are useless because you're too selfish to sober up. Maybe if you paid attention to someone else every once and awhile, Ben would still be here!” He yelled at Klaus, who flinched, and ouch, that one hurt. Ben wanted to yell at Five, shout at him for hurting Klaus, but he couldn’t. Goddamn ghost body, it wasn’t Klaus’s fault, but he still blamed himself for it, and Five wasn’t making his situation any better. “Can’t even make yourself useful as a lookout.”

“I need a drink.” He said, then vanished. 

Fuck.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Klaus-”
> 
> “You know it’s true, Benny boy! The only people who’ve ever loved me are dead, and half the time I can’t tell if you stay because of love or if it’s just pity!!” He interrupts his (dead) brother, waving his tattooed hands in the air for dramatic effect.
> 
> OR
> 
> Klaus runs away, and Vanya has a talk with Five. Neither of those things go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the tags didnt scare you off, hello!! The tws for this fic are as follows:
> 
> -alcohol abuse/past abuse/withdrawal symtoms  
> -drug abuse  
> -arguing  
> -victim blaming  
> -death  
> -referenced kidnapping/torture (canon typical)  
> -referenced s//xual a//salt  
> -anxiety attacks  
> -implied ED
> 
> IF I MISSED ANY PLEASE COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW!!!

The alleyway was dark, and Klaus wasn’t sure if he liked that or not. He knew it was stupid and he knew that Five could probably teleport to him at any time, but he just needed out of that stupid house. Klaus needed a drink, that’s what. There was a bar a few blocks down, but that was a long walk, and he was sure he’d find something in the trash nearby, so he started looking. Besides, it was free.

It was also really gross, as it turns out, but it was still alcohol. There goes my clean streak, he thinks, but it doesn’t matter anymore. The screaming in his head dies down, and so does the worry of his siblings. ‘Alcohol always makes things better’, Klaus murmurs, even though he knows he’ll regret it later. Later isn’t here yet though, so he enjoys it while it lasts.

He knows Ben is mad at him, but he doesn’t comment.

“I wish Dave was here,” Klaus started, “I wonder what he’d say, about me going back to being a homeless druggie again,”

Ben frowns at him.

“He’d probably be disappointed in me, everyone usually is. My dad, my siblings, my ex partners, I really can’t escape it, can I?” He laughs, “Maybe it’s a curse, Klaus Hargreeves, doomed to a life of misery and disappointment. I know God’s probably laughing up there on her little bicycle, knowing I can’t get what I want.”

“Klaus-”

“You know it’s true, Benny boy! The only people who’ve ever loved me are dead, and half the time I can’t tell if you stay because of love or if it’s just pity!!” He interrupts his (dead) brother, waving his tattooed hands in the air for dramatic effect.

Ben’s frown grows, “Klaus you know that I love you, and so does everybody else.”

“Five doesn’t, clearly. And I’m not so sure about everyone else, actually. They all think I’m crazy, I know, such a shock that their brother who can see ghosts can see their brother who is a ghost. Honest mistake on my part, really. Five thinks I’m still a druggie. Useless too, did you hear that monologue? Straight out of a Disney movie. He even blamed me for your death! I know, I couldn’t believe it either.” Klaus jokes, very obviously upset. 

He brushed away a few stray tears and threw his head back to the brick wall behind him, raising his bottle, “To being the worst Hargreeves’ to date” Klaus mumbled, and took a drink.

And then he blacked out, yet again.

“Guys, where’s Klaus?” Vanya asks, worry laced in her voice. The house had been silent since Five and Klaus’ screaming match, and Vanya didn’t like it.

“Probably getting drunk off his ass right now,” Five said, sipping from his coffee as if he had no part in this. Truth be told, he was worried about Klaus. He couldn’t say that, obviously, but he was. It was his fault Klaus ran away, and it was his fault that they couldn’t find him.

“You’re acting an awful lot like dad.” Vanya says. She knows what Five did and she doesn’t like it. She’d seen the way Klaus flinched when Five raised his voice, and the way his eyes widened at the mention of Ben. And now Klaus was out getting drunk, despite how he had only just gotten sober a few days ago. God dammit, Five Hargreeves.

“Don’t say that.” Five says, and Vanya knows she’s hit a nerve. “I am nothing like that bastard.”

“Aren’t you though? Pushing Klaus away and blaming him for things he had no control over? Blaming him for Ben’s death? When you know he’s been taking it the hardest? Sounds like him to me.” She pushed. Klaus and Vanya may not have been close, but he was still her brother, and she wasn’t going to allow him to be pushed around the same way she had been.

And Vanya sees that Five knows that she’s right, just from his face. He’s always claimed he hides his emotions well, but Vanya can see right through it. Maybe it’s because of how long they spent together as kids, maybe it’s because Five isn’t as good as he thought.

She likes to think it’s the latter.

Five shudders, “No, no, get out.” He says, and gets louder when Vanya stays put, “Get out.” And his voice is hard and firm.

  
Vanya wonders who that reminds her of, oh wait, it’s dad.

When Five realizes that Vanya isn’t leaving, there’s a flash of blue, and he’s gone instead.

Typical.

When Klaus wakes up again, he’s getting the shit beaten out of him. What a lovely way to start my morning, he thinks. He can’t quite make out the faces of the people hurting him, let alone understand what they are saying, and he doesn’t try and make an effort to. It’s better this way, Klaus thinks. He can start to taste blood now, and that’s never a good sign, but his efforts to move away are the same as when he woke up, so the blood just keeps coming. There’s a pain in his ribs too, and he thinks he broke a few of them, maybe even his arm. 

That’s never good, now is it?

He can hear his brother’s voice, and he strains himself to try and understand him, but it doesn’t work. The world is going dark, and the pain in his bones is increasing. 

Maybe this is it, he hopes, maybe he can finally go. The little girl on the bike won’t be pleased, might even send him back down right away, but Klaus lets the thought linger. He doesn’t want to stay here anymore. The only sound left is his breathing, and out of the corner of his eye, he sees the men who were hurting him leave. 

Then the world goes dark again, and Klaus couldn’t be more grateful.

God isn’t happy with him, but he doesn’t care anymore. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one more chapter!! yay!! sorry this took a while to get out i couldnt figure out what i wanted for the chapter


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They had never been close as kids, and drifted even further when Klaus moved out, but seeing her now, holding his hand and crying over his body, he wishes they had been.
> 
> OR
> 
> Klaus dies, but his siblings are there to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINAL CHAPTER!!!! Warnings from previous chapters still apply!! Please enjoy, I had a lot of fun with this fic

“What are you doing here? It’s not time yet, I told you not to come back.” The little girl, God, asks.

Klaus really wasn’t in the mood to be yelled at, he got enough of that in the house (it wasn’t his house, it was the house. Klaus didn’t belong there, he knew it, and so did his siblings). “Oh y’know, got a little beat up, blacked out a bit, the usual.” He says.

“You’re dead, I think that’s a little more than ‘a little beat up’” She quotes him, rolling her eyes. “He’s not here, there’s no point in waiting.” She knows what he wants, and she isn’t going to give it to him.

He waves his hand in dismissal towards her, looking around the grayscale area anyway. There weren’t any buildings this time, just trees and a pathway. He looks at the path a little longer than he should, “That’s not for you, you’re going back.” She tells him. 

“And what if I don’t?”

“You don’t exactly have control over that, now do you?” And she’s right, but he doesn’t care.

“I might,” Klaus says, “how would you know?”

“You’re awfully chatty for a dead guy.”

“Thought you said I was supposed to go back, hm?”

“You are.”

He tries going down the path, but for the first time since he got here, the girl blocks his path.

“That’s not for you Klaus, you have to go back. Maybe next time I’ll let you stay, but you can’t be here right now.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to let me in a little early, now would it?” He pleads, trying to move around her.

“Yes, actually, it would.”

He sighs.

And he ignores her.

“Klaus get back here!” He can hear behind him, and then there’s someone pulling on his arm.

\-----

Klaus wakes up in a hospital. He hates hospitals, they’re full of ghosts and they remind him a little too much of his past. Something is off, though.  
  
Ben isn’t here.

‘ _Well, he had to leave eventually_.” He murmurs, closing his eyes again. Just as he’s about to fall asleep, someone walks into the room, and his eyes jolt open. 

“ _It’s my fault._ ” Five whispers, “I yelled at him, I made him run away. It’s my fault he’s gone.”

Is he still dead?

Looking around the room, Klaus notices himself, his body, on the bed below him. Oh.

“ _Yeah, it really is,_ ” Diego says, “ _but we both know that not even death can stop Klaus, that fucker._ ” 

All his siblings are there, and while most of them aren’t saying anything, Vanya is the only one right by his bed. 

They had never been close as kids, and drifted even further when Klaus moved out, but seeing her now, holding his hand and crying over his body, he wishes they had been.

Maybe the little girl was right, maybe it wasn’t his time yet. 

He was still angry at Five, and he had every right to be, but it just wasn’t fair to all of his other siblings, to Vanya, to leave because of a petty comment. Even if it was so harsh.

And so Klaus closes his eyes, he has no clue what he’s doing, and wakes up in his body. The first thing he does is groan, and it catches the attention of Vanya, poor sweet Vanya.

“Klaus?” She whispers, running her thumb across his hand, “Can you wake up already? We miss you. Even Five, as bitchy as he is. I promise we won’t be mad at you.”

Oh dear. 

“Vanya?” He whispers, and then coughs. Was he in this much pain when he died? He couldn’t remember, but he hated it. Regardless, he sees Vanya’s face lights up, and the cough gets the attention of his siblings. Five looks guilty, and Klaus doesn’t even feel bad (yes, he does), Five deserved it. 

“Hey,” she says, “you were out for a while, we were worried about you.”

He tries to talk, but nothing comes out. “Oh, right, you got pretty beat up back there. Your poor ribs, it’ll take a while to heal. You were bleeding a lot when we found you, but you were already passed out. We couldn’t find your clothes, so I hope you don’t mind this,” Vanya says, pointing to the outfit next to her, and Diego adds, “I know you don’t like hospitals, but you were already pretty far away from the house when we found you, and so we panicked and called an ambulance. We were worried you weren’t gonna make it, the damage looked pretty severe.” And Klaus could definitely feel it now, “But we're glad you’re okay. Okay, maybe not okay, but at least you’re alive.” Diego whispers.

“I can’t see Ben anymore,” Klaus whispers, voice hoarse.

“They had to drug you quite a bit for surgery, in case you woke up in the middle of it, and to help the pain when you woke up after.” Allison pipes up, “We told them about your… history. Not the details, but enough for them to understand. Nothing too strong, we don’t want you relapsing again.”

Luther puts a hand on his chest, “You probably shouldn’t talk too much, your body is already struggling to keep you awake as is.” 

Klaus nods.

Five still hasn’t said anything yet, and he doesn’t really expect him to. That’s just how Five is, can’t admit he was wrong

A doctor comes in to check up on him, and gives him the medication he’ll need for the day. “You’ll be in here for another week or so, just until we know you’ll be able to move on your own. When you do go back home, don’t put too much pressure on your arm or chest, or it could cause further damage. If you need another dose,” he points to the medicine bottle by Klaus’ bed, “give us a call, and have one of your siblings pick it up.” The doctor turns over to the rest of the Hargreeves, “If anything happens, bring him in immediately.”

When the rest of his siblings leave (presumably to talk to the doctor, he knows there’s something they’re not telling him), only he and Five are left in the room.

“You looked pretty beat up back there,” Five says, “they- _we_ were worried about you.”

Klaus shakes his head, and Five groans, “Right, can’t talk.”

“Well, for all its worth, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. And I know it’s not an excuse, you died for god's sake, but I’ve just been stressed, and I took it out on you. You didn’t deserve it. I know it’s not much of an apology, but maybe I could make it up to you? I’m not sure anything makes up for death, but you deserve something.”  
  
Klaus looks at him expectantly.

“How does coffee sound? Just like when we were kids? Forget about the apocalypse for a little bit and just spend time together. We can invite everyone else too, if you want.”  
  
And for the first time tonight, Klaus smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thats the end of this fic!! i have another one coming out soon, but it is much longer (15 chapters!!!), so ill probably post my dave/klaus one first 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi sorry 4 this


End file.
